Institutes Guide

Departments are provided with their respective Summer Institute Fund Number and Project Code that must be used to charge their Summer Institute program expenses included in the budget. Please be sure to use the project code to ensure accounting accuracy and reconciliation.

• The 2026 fund and project code information can be found below. Please do not start charging 2026 expenses until December of the 2025 calendar year. 
• Only those expenses that are directly relevant to the program may be charged using the correct Full Accounting Unit (FAU). Compensation for career/contract staff or faculty required for the academic unit’s normal operations may NOT be attributed to the program expenses.
• If the program wishes to pay the fees for any of its enrolled students, it should be done via the setup of a waiver by Summer Sessions in conjunction with Student Accounts. Please see Student Affairs section below for more information.
• For programs that offer a virtual offering of any existing programs that would like to track expenses specifically related to the virtual offering, please use “VRTL” in the Source Code field.

New and returning departments must submit a budget as part of the program proposal for each summer the program is to be offered.

• Budget Template for 2025(-2027) Summer Institutes

Budgets should be based on the program’s minimum enrollment necessary to ensure a meaningful curricular experience for both the program faculty and participants, including instructional and other expenses to be charged to the Summer Institute Fund and corresponding Project Codes available in the Charging Expenses section above.

• This does not mean that you have to prorate all expenses. For example, if you have to rent a facility for the maximum program capacity and have no alternative for lower capacity, your rental expense would be a fixed expense regardless of enrollment numbers. Such expenses should be reflected in the budget so that we can ensure the program’s financial viability when establishing your program fees.
• If the program needs to purchase equipment every few years, please provide the total expense and a yearly break-down.

Summer Sessions will implement a new fee setting model beginning summer 2025 wherein budgets for Summer Institutes will only be required for review every three years. As part of that new model, Summer Sessions will be closely monitoring any and all variance between the budget submitted with the proposal and actual program expenses as they appear on the ledger.

*Please note that while a budget will only be required every three years, this does not mean that you cannot submit a new budget each year to accommodate significant changes in your program expenditures.

Summer Sessions will review the budget and finalize the program fee in consultation with the department. Once the program fee is finalized, the Summer Sessions website will be updated accordingly.

If you have questions about developing your budget for the proposal, we strongly recommend working with your departmental finance team. The Summer Analyst team is also available to help assist with any questions you may have.

**Since campus fees, as well as unit fees, are subject to change, we advise departments not to include fee details in their marketing materials (especially before the program fee is finalized), and appreciate the opportunity to review any fee related information included in any department’s own marketing materials to ensure complete accuracy.

Academic departments hire instructors, apprentice teaching personnel (TAs), as well as other personnel that provide administrative or instructional assistance including those paid by the hour, and enter their appointments in UCPath. Although payments are handled and processed by the Department using the respective Summer Institute Fund and Project Code, payroll details must be submitted to Summer Sessions for reconciliation of payroll expenses and establishment of program fees. The budget template (Residential Precollege Programs; All Others) includes a section on personnel. Please be sure to complete all relevant fields as part of the program proposal. If there are any changes during actual hiring processes, be sure to notify your lead Summer Sessions analyst via email.

• Faculty compensation for the credit-bearing coursework is based on the number of units, as well as the instructor’s nine-month academic annual salary, which is a percentage of the ninth-month academic annual salary, exclusive of administrative stipends, staff appointments, or other compensation, in effect June 30 of the summer in which the instructor is teaching. Increases in pay that are effective July 1 or after are not included. Faculty compensation for the non-credit bearing component of the program, if applicable, should be based on the academic salary and workload. Certain limitations may apply in accordance with UCLA academic personnel compensation policies.
• The Summer Sessions compensation pay scales for apprentice teaching personnel are fixed, by-agreement amounts determined by a calculation. For rates, please refer to the Accounting and Payroll section of the general planning site.
• The rates for hourly personnel are the same as in the academic year.

NOTE: While the Department may decide whether to earmark a certain portion of summer revenue for its career/contract staff required for normal operations during the academic year, such compensation may not be attributed to the proposed Summer Institute’s budget. The budget should include only pay titles that are hired solely for the program.

Titles and Title Codes

The program can determine appropriate titles and title codes for its staff within the boundaries of UCLA personnel policies and guidelines, paying special attention to student status if hiring any student employees. Please consult your personnel officer.

Finger Printing/Live Scan Background Checks

If you have any program staff member complete a fingerprinting/live scan background check, please follow your unit’s background check process applicable during the academic year. We recommend that you start the process no later than early May. For background check charges that are specific to the program, you can use the program’s Summer Institute fund. As is the case with the program’s other charges, any background check expense charged to the program’s Summer Institute fund will be deducted from the program’s gross revenue as part of the program expenditure.

Administrative Staff Proposal

Please download the template to be used during the Summer Institutes Proposal Survey to share all administrative staff, contact information, program roles, and responsibilities.

All applicants including matriculated UCLA students must use the Summer Institutes Online Registration Form to begin the registration process. Only those who submit the required payment for registration (which is a non-refundable deposit until May 1, and payment of the full program fee after May 1, unless otherwise noted) will be considered enrolled. Waitlisted applicants or those whose admissions are pending instructor consent will not be prompted to pay until they become eligible to enroll. In the event of low enrollments that may result in deficits, Summer Sessions will consult with the academic unit to determine whether the program should be cancelled. In order to minimize adverse impact on students, this decision will be made no later than May 1.

Nonrefundable Deposit

For those who register before the May 1 payment deadline, a nonrefundable deposit is required to complete registration. We ask that students be sure of their intention to register as this deposit is NOT refundable under any circumstances. The nonrefundable deposit is not an additional fee and will apply toward the student’s summer balance.

After the payment deadline, full payment of the program fee, including the nonrefundable deposit, is required to complete registration. Please note that certain miscellaneous fees such as the Document and Instructional Enhancement Initiative (IEI) fees will post to the student’s BruinBill account if applicable and as such, must be paid on MyUCLA after registration.

For programs that are waitlisted, no payment is due until admission.

Students who have submitted the online registration form without payment are indicated as “registered” students as opposed to “enrolled” students. Once a valid payment is made, registration is complete and a spot will be reserved for the student.

Payment can be made by credit card or electronic check using the secure CASHNet SmartPay system. All credit card transactions made through CASHNet SmartPay are subject to a nonrefundable 2.75% service fee.

Fees and Payment Deadlines

Summer fees for Summer Institutes vary by program and student status, among other factors. All applicants must review the applicable program website for information on various policies and procedures including fees and payment. However, you can refer to the Fees, Payment and Financial Aid page for a quick estimate of your summer fees and the Calendar page for various Summer Sessions dates and deadlines.

If registered before the payment deadline, the student’s remaining balance reflecting the nonrefundable deposit must be paid in full through MyUCLA by the payment deadline. After the payment deadline, applicants are prompted to make full payment of the program fee. If they are subject to assessment of the document fee and/or the IEI fee, those fees appear on their BruinBill account after registration and must be paid on MyUCLA.

Delinquency in payment may result in enrollment cancellations, holds on academic records, and/or collection actions.

Program Changes, Cancellations, and Refunds

The University reserves the right at any time, without prior notice, to cancel, change, or substitute any advertised activities of The Program in emergencies or changed conditions, or in the interest of The Program or The Participant, at The University’s sole discretion. The University will make reasonable efforts to sustain The Program’s overall academic objectives, but makes no guarantees about any academic activities. The University reserves the right to alter the cost in order to meet unexpected changes in Program related activities. Further, The University reserves the right to cancel The Program without notice (subject to refund obligations as set forth on the Summer Sessions website) and reserves the right to decline any application.

Reasonable endeavor will be made to notify students of such changes and suggest alternatives when applicable. In the event of cancellation, the University is not responsible for any consequential loss or expenses incurred as a result. The University assumes no responsibility for failure to offer the Program due to any force majeure event. In the event of force majeure after the refund deadline, no refunds will be issued. The term “force majeure” shall mean fire, earthquake, flood, act of God, strikes, work stoppages or other labor disturbances, riots or civil commotions, litigation, war or other act of any foreign nation, plague, epidemic, pandemic, power of government or governmental agency or authority, or any other cause like or unlike any cause mentioned above, which is beyond the control of the University.

Program Withdrawals and Refunds

No refunds are issued after the June 15 refund deadline. It is the responsibility of each participant to know and to comply with Summer Sessions policies and deadlines. Participants cannot use ignorance of the Summer Sessions refund policies and deadlines for justification for seeking a refund.

Enrolled Students

The following policy applies to all enrolled students, i.e., students who have submitted the required payment for registration.

• The nonrefundable deposit may NOT be refunded under ANY circumstances.
• Program fees, as well as other applicable fees (such as IEI, document, health insurance fees) minus the nonrefundable deposit are refundable until the June 15 refund deadline.
• No refunds will be granted after the refund deadline.

Non-Enrolled Students

Students who have not completed registration, i.e., those who have only submitted the online registration form but have not made the required payment to complete registration, are not considered enrolled in the program and may cancel their online registration form at any time with no financial penalty.

Refund Petitions

Only those who encountered unforeseen, extenuating circumstances may request a refund. Reasons such as the following will NOT be considered for a refund:

• Lack of knowledge of Summer Sessions policies and regulations
• Insufficient, delayed, and/or cancellation of financial aid award
• Conditions or chronic illnesses that remain static and are known to the student at the time of registration/enrollment
• Dissatisfaction with programs and/or grade received

To file for a refund petition, students should contact UCLA Summer Sessions at (310) 825-4101 or info@summer.ucla.edu. Refund petitions must be filed within one week from the official drop date, or Friday of the last week of the class, whichever comes first.

Summer Precollege Focus Series

All applicants and their parent/legal guardians are required to complete a Waiver of Liability (Minor / Adult) and Program Participant Agreement (Residential / Commuter) in order to participate in Summer Precollege Focus Series. As the effective dates and coverage of these documents are determined by the applicant’s age, program types, and enrollment status, applicants will be asked to complete all required documents again whenever adding a new program, switching to another program, or re-enrolling in the same program after cancellation.

College/Professional Summer Institutes

All applicants must agree to the Waiver of Liability (Minor / Adult) and a Program Participant Agreement (Minor / Adult) as part of consideration for allowing participation. Any applicant who is under 18 at the time of submitting this registration form must have a parent/legal guardian complete the Waiver of Liability and the Program Participant Agreement. As the effective dates and coverage of these documents are determined by the applicant’s age, program types, and enrollment status, applicants will be asked to complete all required documents again whenever adding a new program, switching to another program, or re-enrolling in the same program after cancellation.

Academic units or centers may wish to provide scholarships to students to cover either partial or full program and student fees for participating in a Summer program. Academic units can determine if they want to utilize the Summer Scholars Support application or create their own scholarship application and review process to identify recipients. If an academic unit creates their own application, please ensure that you are in line with university scholarship granting procedures and provide clear deadlines for applications and communications.

• Academic units are responsible for informing all scholarship applicants of their award status and confirming the acceptance of the scholarship from those who have been awarded.
• Academic units are responsible for communicating with the scholarship recipient regarding any fees that he/she/they will be responsible for paying if the scholarship does not cover 100% of program fees.

Summer Sessions MUST be informed of confirmed scholarship recipients no later than the Summer programs payment deadline of May 1st. If Summer Sessions is not informed, recipients may be dropped for non-payment.

In the event that the academic unit offering a summer program decides to award a scholarship covering the program fees for any participant, including non-UCLA students (e.g., high school students), the academic unit must communicate with Summer Sessions for the setup of the program scholarship fee waiver by Student Accounts.

The setup process only needs to be completed ONCE for each scholarship type. However, if changes need to be made to either the account from which the funds are withdrawn, or which fees to cover with the scholarship fee waiver, please contact Summer Sessions as a new fee waiver will need to be created.

Academic units can determine which program fees will be covered by their scholarship fee waiver. Departments are NOT required to cover ALL fees with the scholarship fee waiver if offering a scholarship. However, it should be made clear to applicants which fees or amounts will be covered, if awarded.

Once the scholarship fee waiver is created, Summer Sessions staff will be responsible for applying the waiver to the student’s account. Prior to adding the waiver to the account, Summer Sessions will confirm that the scholarship recipient is enrolled in the program and has fees posted on the Summer Sessions BruinBill account.

Applications for summer institutes should be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. All programs must provide a list of any supplemental admission requirements (short essays, surveys, or file uploads) and designate at least one program administrator/instructor as a reviewer by providing the following information: the full name, UID, UCLA Logon, and email address.

Summer Sessions will be implementing new procedures for managing and approving applications. More information on this updated process is forthcoming.

Program Administrators/Instructors granting consent for Summer Precollege Focus Series should keep in mind the following admission requirements:

• GPA minimum of 3.0 or above (note that some programs may require a GPA higher than 3.0)
• Transcript upload
• Value Statement
• Any program specific requirements for evaluation will be submitted in addition to those reviewed by Summer Sessions (general admission is required prior to program specific admission).

Most students and their families are eager to finalize summer plans as soon as possible and the Summer Sessions office receives many phone and email inquiries regarding students’ consent status. In order to maintain student interest, as well as ensure that programs reach capacity in a timely manner, we ask that admission decisions be made promptly within two weeks of the application. If the program requires more time to review and make admissions decisions, please inform Summer Sessions to ensure adequate handling of student inquiries.

All enrolled students have access to the “Summer Bruin Guide” a welcome website, consisting of general information about the institutes experience. In addition, Summer Sessions also emails enrolled students the Summer Bruin Guide and any additional relevant information about one month prior to the program. Each program should communicate all program specific information that is not covered by the general welcome website in a timely manner to prepare students for successful participation. Links to Summer Bruin Guides for specific student populations can be found below:

• Summer Precollege Focus Series
• College/Professional Summer Institutes
• Summer College Immersion Program (SCIP)

As Summer programs grow, the number of requests for special accommodations have been increasing in recent years. The following policies and procedures have been vetted by Risk Management, General Counsel, and Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.

1. Accommodations for Disabilities: Disclosure of information regarding disabilities and requests to be accommodated will allow UCLA to ascertain the ability to address the request. The Center for Accessible Education (CAE) is the university’s office in charge of  assessing and facilitating accommodations. If the participant has an existing disability(ies) that requires certain accommodations to meet the program’s demands, the said accommodations must be formally requested through CAE by submitting an Accommodation Request with documentation, if applicable. Requests must formally be deemed reasonable and feasible for provision in a timely manner; requests can take up to 4 weeks to be processed. The participant (or the guardian, if applicable) submitting the request form will be notified by May 31 of the same year whether or not the requested accommodation can be made. In the event that the requested accommodation is deemed not reasonable or feasible by CAE, the student/guardian will be contacted to discuss other accommodations that may be recommended. In the event that agreement on a reasonable accommodation cannot be reached, the participant may withdraw from the program and request  a refund of valid payment received for the program by emailing info@summer.ucla.edu.
2. Dietary Restrictions and Accommodations: The University will make a reasonable effort to assist participants with dietary restrictions and the understanding of their food options. However, the participant must acknowledge that there are certain risks of cross-contamination in using the facilities on campus and that the University cannot assume responsibility for strict adherence to the specific dietary needs of the Participant.
3. Refrigeration for Medication: No prescription or over-the-counter medication will be available on site. The participant and the guardian are solely responsible for provision and (self-) administration of any needed prescription or over-the-counter medication as directed by their healthcare provider(s). If refrigeration is required, the student/guardian must reach out to Summer Sessions at info@summer.ucla.edu to discuss the participant’s options.

Per UCLA Insurance and Risk Management guidance, any transportation used to transport minors must have the appropriate levels of insurance if vendors are used. When using a vendor, please go through Purchasing as they are often the first reviewers of insurance and indemnification provisions. If a Low Value Order for Goods or Services (LVO) is used to pay vendors, it will avert the vetting process through Purchasing.

Summer Precollege Focus Series participants must use campus-approved transportation for all off-campus excursions and events during scheduled program hours unless otherwise authorized. They are not permitted to use their own vehicles during the hours of the program except for personal emergencies. Further, they are not permitted to transport other participants without written permission from the guardians of all participants involved.

During the course of a student’s participation in any Summer program (starting when a student has officially arrived to the program and lasting until they have officially ended their participation in the program), students are prohibited from using unauthorized methods of transportation, which include ride share services, within scheduled program hours. Ride share services are considered unauthorized and unsanctioned forms of transportation under the participant agreement, as the university is liable for the student’s safety while they are participating in the program.

However, prior to the start of the program or after the program has ended, when the university is no longer responsible for the student, they are able are able to make their own decisions about their preferred methods of transportation. Our hope is that students will consider safe and legal transportation methods, however as the student is no longer considered a participant after a summer institute has concluded, the university can no longer enforce the participant agreement.